


The Door That Divides Us

by RealPowerTwix



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Gobblepot Give-Away submission, Implied relationship between two men, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:17:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2692661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealPowerTwix/pseuds/RealPowerTwix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His life didn't start out as he had expected it to. So how could he have known he would end up here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Door That Divides Us

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. 
> 
> This is what I submitted for the Gobblepot Give-Away over on tumblr and I thought that I would post it here as well just in case anyone else might enjoy reading it. 
> 
> Please bear in mind that I haven't actually written anything in almost six years.

There wasn’t much in this city, this world really, that had managed to garner Oswald’s trust and loyalty. His Mother had been the first, of course, naturally. She had said for as long as Oswald could remember that a persons Mother was the only one to trust. That nothing could hold a candle to a Mother’s love for her child.

Despite his Mother’s caring and insistent words however, there was a rather… unfortunate period during which Oswald had foolishly disregarded his dear, sweet Mother. Watching his fellow pupils in the school halls with their friends triggered an urge in young Oswald. In theory, seeking friendship was a concept that Oswald was familiar with. In practice it was an entirely new experience. Until he began his tentative reach toward the other students, Oswald had almost been blissfully ignorant of his standing in the eyes of the other children. That was the year he realised how right his Mother had been for all those years. That was the year that he began to learn just how cruel people could be to those that they saw as beneath them.

-

For years Oswald dedicated his life to moving up the ranks within Gotham’s underbelly. It had been especially difficult in the beginning, making the initial contacts with the right people on the lower rungs of the ladder. But Gotham had a number of places for less fortunate folks who wanted the security that came with belonging to a prominent crime family. All he needed was an in, and Oswald had always been an excellent businessman.

-

When Jim first came into his life in that dank rainy ally Oswald had been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his next move. He knew things. A lot of things. Some of which were set to come to light in the not so distant future. He’d had the perfect plan, nearly fool-proof in fact. Though after his dealings with the GCPD were exposed, none of that mattered.

The water had been colder than he had expected but the ice working its way into his bones did nothing to take away from his satisfaction and relief. He had been right after all, about the kind of man Jim was, about his own odds of getting out alive. He couldn’t keep to Detective Gordon’s conditions though. He simply couldn’t stay out of Gotham, it was his home, it was his city.

Upon his return he’d had to seek out Jim. He had to help him. Jim didn’t see the things that Oswald saw, and the things that he did see he didn’t think of in the same way, in the right way. Oswald had information and access that was vital for Gotham’s greatest man. They needed each other. Jim didn’t realise it, not yet. But he would come to, eventually. Oswald had been certain of it.

-

The sense of loyalty had come out of nowhere for Oswald, almost as much as the unprecedented feeling of trust. Jim had shown him a kindness that no other soul in Gotham had shown him in the past, a mercy that no one else would have, had it been anyone except Jim with him on that pier. For those things, Jim was a friend and Oswald owed him everything.

The realisation that, at least for Oswald, those feeling ran so much deeper than friendship, extended so much further, snuck up and then crashed down on him like a sudden wave. Each time his and Jim’s paths crossed, it only intensified.

-

Given the beginning of their relationship, it was probably more difficult than usual to nurture that little seedling of partnership into one of mutual friendship. It took even longer for it to evolve into something that could even entertain the idea of being something more. He and Jim never actually did anything like sit down and discuss it.

It was only the smallest of changes at first, short conversations that were about more than work and traded information. Then it was the lightest stolen touches. It was Oswald who had initiated that particular step, with his heart in his throat. He took not being immediately rebuffed as a good sign. After that, it took a few more meetings before Jim surprised him by lightly, just barely, brushing his hand against his arm and down to skim across Oswald’s hand as he was bidding the detective farewell. Before he took his leave, Jim answered with a rare, small smile and his own ‘Stay safe’.

-

From there, things had pretty much evened out. The passing, gentle, discreet touches were the norm whenever they met up. Keeping it a secret from Detective Bullock was a bit thrilling, Oswald had to admit. But after a few weeks, the other detective seemed to begin noticing the little things between them, no one ever said he wasn’t good at his job after all. A few touches here and there, how ‘Cobblepot’ turned into ‘Oswald’, these things were only acknowledged by Detective Bullock as an occasional subtle look at Jim. So far, Bullock had made no direct comment on it, at least as far as Oswald was aware, but he had no desire to have Jim ask outright how much his partner actually knew. It didn’t ultimately matter, he supposed, it wasn’t like he would stop being closer to Jim just because of the opinion of one person… not unless Jim wanted him to stop too.

-

By some stray stroke of luck, Jim hadn’t ever even alluded to breaking off whatever-this-thing-they-had-was.

-

Now, in this darkened room, staring out the large picture window at the deceptively beautiful lights of Gotham, Oswald didn’t bother trying to keep the small smile from slowly creeping onto his face. He could feel Jim’s heartbeat, slow and strong, against his back. Hear him breathing deeply in sleep as he lay behind him, half tangled in the light blanket that was draped across them both. The warm feeling of contentment that had settled in Oswald’s chest was a new but not at all unpleasant sensation. He only wished that the first rays of dawn were further off. In a few hours they will have to say goodbye as Oswald slips out the front door. They will go back to their lives. One as a rapidly rising criminal of Gotham’s underworld and the other as a man sworn to up hold justice in a city that will never appreciate the unshakable good in him. Perhaps there will be some bit of information that could help Jim on one of his cases and perhaps Oswald will be the one to have it. Then there will be a gentle touch here, a soft look there, and an unspoken promise to later resume where they had left off at the closing of a door this morning.

But for now, Oswald was just happy to nestle back into Jim’s embrace, place his hand on top of the one that was settled on his hip, close his eyes and rest for a little while longer. Jim’s job could wait. His own up and coming criminal enterprise could wait. For a few hours more, Gotham could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there it is. I really hope you liked it. 
> 
> Please feel free to comment. =)


End file.
